play off one power against another(yǐ yí fá yí)

play off one power against another

Yi Yi felling Yi, a Chinese idiom, Pinyin is y ǐ y í f á y í, which means to make use of the other party's own contradictions in military affairs to cause conflicts and weaken forces. It comes from the biography of Deng Xun in the book of the later Han Dynasty.

Idiom usage

With the help of external forces, we are lucky to have been given by heaven today, and we should be allowed to fight for the benefit of the country.

Analysis of Idioms

Synonyms: to conquer, to attack and to govern by foreigners

The origin of Idioms

According to the biography of Deng Xun in the book of the later Han Dynasty, "it is not appropriate to ban and protect the Xians who attack each other with the help of the Qiang and Hu, and for the benefit of the county officials who cut off the Yi with the help of the Yi."

Idiom explanation

Yi: used to refer to a foreign nationality or a foreign country. It refers to the military use of the other party's own contradictions to cause conflicts and weaken forces.

Chinese PinYin : yǐ yí fá yí